Hunting River Perch

A change of venue this week, back to the Derwent in search of perch. I intended to fish 3 or 4 swims that had produced the odd decent perch in the past. Tactics were to be simple feeder rigs. Worm with crumb feeder on one and double caster with maggot and caster in the feeder on the other. While setting up, in the sunshine, I was distracted by four deer wandering along the hedge line - too far away for a picture with the camera on the phone though. Having got set up I realised there was one slight hitch, the best position for the rod tips meant I would be looking straight into the sun. The tips would have to be lower than I'd like which would make them less sensitive. While the gudgeon whack the tip round, like the mini barbel they are, the perch just tend to give a tentative rattle.

 








With the worm rod cast down near the tree roots on the nearside and the caster rod over near a snag on the far bank I settled back and waited. The gudgeon were quick to oblige, with 4 coming in quick succession to caster, before the worm rod rattled a bit and a nice hard fighting perch of 1lb 6oz graced the net. A little while later the caster rod rattled and a slightly larger, though slightly tatty, perch of 1lb 9oz was in the net. Not long after recasting, the worm rod whacked over just as the caster rod rattled about. I struck into the caster rod, assuming the worm had been taken by a gudgeon. A smallish perch was quickly netted on the caster rod and I turned my attention to the worm rod. The thump thump clearly signalled a decent perch and sure enough after a short battle it was in the net with the little un. Much to my surprise the larger perch was the tatty 1lb 9oz fish and just released. These were the last bites from the swim.

 








 








The next swim produced a gudgeon and a roach to the worm rod and a couple of minnows to caster. The third swim a couple of gudgeon after quite a wait.

 








The final swim was awash with gudgeon for the first twenty minutes before it all went quiet. It was now heading towards that 'magic' time at the end of the day when the experts tell you all the big perch a caught. Doesn't normally work for me though, so I was thinking of packing in when the worm rod rattled and a perch of 1lb 11oz put up a brief struggle before being netted. This gave me the incentive to stay. Ten minutes latter the the tip rattled again and I was in to a very nice perch just shy of 3lb at 2lb 14oz, which put up hell of a fight.  Just before It got truly dark the worm rod rattled again and I was into a crazy little pike that shot all over the swim as I tried to get it under control. Matters were not helped by the landing net getting snagged on a bramble and been stuck three foot above the river. Eventually the little beastie was landed It was to be the last fish of the day despite fishing into dark.

 

One of the problems with this time of year is clothing. When I arrived it was T-shirt weather, by the time I'd finished I could have done with a big coat. Trying to be reasonably mobile and carry extra clothing as well a tackle and bait doesn't make life very easy.